New South Bend Police officers sworn in

Four new officers were sworn in to the South Bend Police Department on Wednesday.

The new officers are:

Chelsea Ward

Elijah Arias

Blake Seward

Garrett Payne

One of the new officers, Garrett Payne, says it’s a difficult time to be an officer, but he’s looking forward to building relationships with members of the community.

"It was definitely an exciting feeling. It's something I'm definitely excited about and looking forward to getting out there in the community, building these relationships. I know the public opinion right now with law enforcement isn't as good as it could be so that's definitely a goal I have is getting out there and really building that trust and relationship with the community,” Payne said.

In addition to the new officers being sworn in, 8 officers were promoted.